Tongue-Tied British?

British kids are happy to be tongue-tied. As soon as they had a chance to drop French, teenagers at a school in Manchester were very happy to do so. Only 15 out of 100 signed up for French. Interest in German was even worse and the school decided not to offer it at all. “Languages are hard," according to some British students. Of course, math is just as hard. Dropping math also as soon as they can? British adults don’t do much better at languages when compared to other Europeans. Out of the 25 European Union countries the UK only beats Hungary in the proportion of its citizens able to have a conversation in a second language. A study by the European Commission showed that 30 per cent of people in the UK were able to do this, compared to 91 per cent in the Netherlands, 88 per cent in Denmark, 62 per cent in Germany and 45 per cent in France.

And Not Tongue-Tied Tuscans
97% of students in Tuscany (the people residing in the region around Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, etc.) speak English, according to a study by the Crusca academy.